Vintage photo 1950 Studebaker police car

[Scott]

I'm not sure if I can post the photo, but here is a link. It's got a very interesting paint job.

http://imgzoom.cdlib.org/Converter?id=/13030/ph/kt500029ph/files/kt500029ph-z1.jp2&s=0.25273597811217513&r=0&x=0&y=0&w=1011&h=739

[Commander Eddie]

This is the same bumper guard as I have on my '50 Commander. That's pretty cool.

[EssexExport]

Cool.

[Studebaker Wheel]

Neat old photo. Just remember though if they had waited a year, "They could have had a V8."

[Scott]

Neat old photo. Just remember though if they had waited a year, "They could have had a V8."

That's a good one, Dick.

[RadioRoy]

It's a late year bottom of the line, custom model. Probably didn't catch any bad guys driving Fords or Oldsmobiles. Hopefully the police procurement department ordered it with an overdrive.

[Deaf Mute]

It would be neat if that car was still around and owned by an SDC member.

[57pack]

Watch out! There's an unmarked Packard pursuit behind the Studebaker!

[rockne10]

Can you imagine any law enforcement body today settling for the 3.6 L Caprice instead of the 6.0 L?
Maybe in 1950 they were concerned about spending taxpayers' money.

[studegary]

Can you imagine any law enforcement body today settling for the 3.6 L Caprice instead of the 6.0 L?
Maybe in 1950 they were concerned about spending taxpayers' money.

I don't know - I see a lot of V6, rather than hemi V8, Dodge Charger police cars. Some police cars are just used in urban areas and do not have to be concerned with high speed pursuit.
A friend of mine got a new Chrysler Town and Country for his State Police "company car".
Also, think about the average car in use in 1950 (mostly 1940s models, with some 1930s that survived WWII).

[1962larksedan]

Can you imagine any law enforcement body today settling for the 3.6 L Caprice instead of the 6.0 L?
Maybe in 1950 they were concerned about spending taxpayers' money.

Actually; for most police work, the modern Chevy/Dodge V6's are quite fast and will (probably) run door handle to door handle in both acceleration and top end with most of the 1960's state police/highway patrol cars.

http://www.policemag.com/blog/vehicles/story/2013/10/michigan-2014-patrol-vehicle-testing-results-released.aspx

Among the six sedans in the V-6 category, the 3.6-liter Chevrolet Impala reached a top speed of 149 mph followed by the 3.6-liter Caprice (148), 3.6-liter Charger (141), and 3.7-liter non-turbo Ford P.I. (132). The Caprice reached 0 to 60 fastest (7.45 seconds) followed by the non-turbo Ford P.I. (7.48) and Impala (7.67).

[rockne10]

Perhaps so but, in 1950 the 170 cid Champion was nary comparable to anything that should have been in the law enforcement stable.

[doug]

If that is Inglewood Calif. (right next to Westchester) it is small enough community, surrounded by other cities on all sides, high speed pursuit was probably not a concern.

[autoradiotech]

But if it is Ca. a pursuit a few miles to the west would put them in the Pacific Ocean!!!

[StudeRich]

The Man standing behind the Officer holding the door open, looks very much like Frank H. Afton the owner of the Inglewood, CA Studebaker Dealership and my Dad's boss.